Daum Museum draws moms, families for interactive Sedalia Day’

May 12, 2013

It was Mother’s Day, so Rita Mergen, of Sedalia, got to choose the family activity. But judging by how much time her daughters — Annalise, 13, and Mimi, 10 — spent at the artistic jewelry-making station, Mergen didn’t have to twist their arms to bring them out to the State Fair Community College campus for “Sedalia Day at the Daum" on Sunday.

And that’s the way the organizers like it.

Formerly dubbed “Bring Mom to the Daum,” “Sedalia Day” “is the same event,” the Daum Museum’s Vicki Weaver said. “We just decided to put the two together — to honor the mothers and bring Sedalia out.”

“It’s up to me today, but they always enjoy it once they get out here, because they get the tours and the docents are so friendly,” said Mergen, who has made it to three of the Daum’s four Mother’s Day events. “And there’s so many different things they’ll find that they like, such as the Chihuly sculpture. Every year we come, it’s different.”

Mergen — who held a flower and sported an artistic brooch made by Mimi — said both her daughters love art, but Annalise is a little more shy about it.

“She loves art, but she’s a little afraid to experiment, so this helps,” Mergen said as she watched Daum volunteer Sherri Osborn help Annalise with a project.

“Sedalia Day” might be a gateway to a lifelong love of art for the girls.

“They just see so much more outside of the classroom, where they tend to stick with a project,” Mergen said. “Here, they see so much more — the professionals and the college students’ work, too.”

Weaver said Sunday’s turnout was the largest of the four years, and there were almost as many volunteers as there were moms and kids enjoying the free activities. The Smith-Cotton art club provided airbrush tattoos (the “mom and heart” tattoo was a favorite among children of all ages), Joe Armetta provided easy-listening guitar music, Wanda Seward gave basket-weaving demonstrations, Dustin Mothersbaugh drew caricatures, and other volunteers oversaw the stations where kids could make jewelry, Mother’s Day cards and artistic “fortune cookies.”

And, of course, the Daum and Goddard galleries had their fair share of visitors.

“A mother told me it’s her day and this is what she wants to do — to look at the art and enjoy the museum as a family,” Weaver said. “And that’s the main thing we wanted to do with this event.”